Propeller attachment for rockers



Ndvl 8, 1949 B. M. .MIKULIC PROPELLER ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKERS Filed April14, 1947 INVENTOR. .5. M M/ku/l'c ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE PROPELLER ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKERS Boyourd M.Mikulic, Jackson County, Mo.

Application April 14, 1947, Serial No. 741,280

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to rocker devices, and aims to provide anaccessory for such devices which will operate to produce a travellingmovement of the rocker in one direction or the other in response to therocking movement thereof.

Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide an attachmentsuitable for application to a rocking chair or other appliance havingone or more rocking elements, and which comprises means operating byengagement with the floor during the chairs rocking movement to producea travel of the same in either direction at the will of the occupant ofthe chair.

To this end, one form of embodiment of the invention comprises a simpleaccessory device attachable to the rocker member and having pusherelements which may be retained in a normal inoperative position but maybe selectively released into operative position for producing atravelling movement of the rocker in one direction or the other. Thesaid pusher elements are moreover adapted (when both are set ininoperative position) to permit either a normal rocking movement of thechair or other appliance upon the floor, or to support such appliance inslightly elevated position or off the floor, for rocking movement in asuspended position.

It is further sought to provide a practical and yet extremely simple andeconomical construction comprising few parts adapted fOr fulfilling allthe purposes of the invention.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention will now bedescribed by reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one formof construction which I have devised for embodying the proposed featuresof improvement, after which those features and combinations deemed to benovel and patentable will be particularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a portion of a rocker member providedwith an accessory appliance embodying the present invention, a portionof the casing thereof being broken away;

Figure 2 is a side view of the same, with said casing shown in verticalsection;

Figure 3 is a similar view with said casing omitted and one of thepusher devices adjusted into operative position and dotted linesrepresenting a shifted position of the parts in response to a rockingaction of the rocker member; and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, representing a section taken onthe line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in detail, this illustratesthe improved appliance as an accessory device attached to a rockermember it}, such as one of the supporting rockers forming part of arocking chair (not otherwise illustrated). This accessory appliancecomprises a pair of duplicate but reversely arranged pusher devices,each made up of an angle bracket !2 having an outstruck lug l3 adaptedto be secured by one or more bolts l4 and nuts to the upper face of therocker member lil, with said brackets set in oppositely arrangedrelation, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. Inside each bracket elementI2 is secured, as by rivets IE or the like, a hearing clip element 48for transversely mounting a fulcrum pin or screw 26. Each of saidfulcrum elements serves as means for pivotally mounting a U-shapedpusher member 24 in a position astride the rocker member Hi, theopposite sides or legs of said pusher member terminating in outwardlyprojecting foot portions 26 at approximately the bottom edge of therocker member, all as clearly represented in Figure 4c.

Each of the fulcrum elements is also provided with a coil spring 28engaging the upper portion of the corresponding pusher member 24 andadapted to actuate the latter outwardly or into more nearly uprightposition for projecting its foot portion 25 below the bottom face of therocker member for floor engagement (as indicated at the left in Figure3).

The pusher members are adapted to be withheld, however, against theaction of said springs 28 by a form of detent means comprising aseparate detent arm 39 for each pusher member, said arm being pivotallymounted in a sleeve 32 carried by the upright portion of thecorresponding bracket l2 and having its inner end in position to engagethe upper portion of the pusher member and hold the same rocked inwardlyagainst the action of its spring, the outer end of the arm 30 projectinga sufficient distance for the convenient manipulation by the occupant ofthe chair. When turned to disengage the detent from the pusher member,the inner end of the arm 30 is swung to the interior of said member andcompletely out of engagement therewith, thus releasing the same to theaction of said spring, as represented at the left in Figure 3.

It is to be understood that duplicate devices as above described aremounted upon both rocker members of a chair, and if no movement isdesired of the chair or rocker other than a simple rocking movement,both pusher devices 24 of each appliance are latched by the detent meanscomprising the arms 30, as represented in Figure 2, which retains saiddevices with their lower feet portions 26 elevated and out of engagementwith the floor.

For producing a forward or backward movement of the rocker, theappropriate pusher devices are released by operation of said detentmeans, as at the left in Figure 3, which results in the springs 28swinging the released pushers in a direction to project their lower ends26 into position for floor engagement as that part of the rocker rises.In this connection it will be noted that the upright portions of thebrackets [2 act as stop limiting the pivotal movement of the pushers sothat their lower ends or feet 26 never move quite into verticalalinement with the fulcrums 20. Consequently when the lowering movementof the rocker takes place, the force applied through said fulcrums tothe pusher members and as pressure upon the foot pieces is always in adirection away from the upright portion of the corresponding bracket,and hence produces a rocking movement of the parts upon the saidfoot-pieces as a fulcrum in a corresponding direction, as represented bythe dotted lines in Figure 3, or until the rocker again comes to restupon the floor.

It is obvious that a movement of the rocker in the opposite directionwould be produced by simply reversing the latched and releasedconditions of the pusher devices from the relation illustrated in Figure3.

Moreover, both pusher devices on one of the rockers may be left latchedas represented in Figure 2 and those of the other rocker set or adjusted according to a turning movement which it may be desired to impartto the chair itself. Thus an invalid occupying the chair may readilycause it to travel or to execute such turning movements he may desire atany time, in moving about from place to place.

Again it is possible to convert the chair into a platform type of rockerby simply releasing all the pusher elements, thus resulting in the chairbeing in effect suspended for rocking movement, l

by the combined supporting action of all said pusher devices.

Thus it will be apparent that the improved device is adapted to havevarious useful applications in connection with different forms ofapparatus having rocker members as a part of the construction, such asswing devices, and also various forms of toys or juvenile equipment(rocking horses and the like); moreover, some equipment can make use ofa single one of the pusher devices, as for example in connection with ascooter type of toy equipment in rocker form and having the improvedpushing device incorporated in the form of an attachment to the rocker.

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4, a top cap form of casing member 8may be fitted over the upper ends of the bracket elements and retainedin positon thereon by suitable nipple engaging means as indicated at 9in Figure 4.

Therefore while I have illustrated and herein described what I havefound to constitute a practical and satisfactory form of embodiment ofmy improvements, I desire to be understood as expressly reserving theright to make such changes or modifications as may fairly fall withinthe spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. An accessory pushing attachment for rockers comprising, a U-shapedpusher member adapted to be mounted astride the rocker, a bracket memberadapted to be secured in fixed position to the upper face of the rockerand provided with a transverse fulcrum element for pivotally supportingsaid pusher member for movement of the lower free ends thereof into andout of projecting relation below the bottom face of the rocker, springmeans for retaining said pusher member with its lower free ends normallyin said projecting relation, said bracket member having a portionextending in the path of movement of the upper cross portion of thepusher member for limiting the movement thereof in opposition to saidspring means, and detent means carried by said bracket member forengagement with said upper cross portion of the pusher member andpositively latching the latter with said lower free ends above thebottom face of the rocker.

2. An accessory pushing attachment for rockers comprising, a pair ofU-shaped pusher members adapted to be mounted astride the rocker,bracket members adapted to be secured in fixed position to the upperface of the rocker and provided with transverse fulcruming elements forseparately and pivotally supporting said pusher members for oppositeswinging movement for bringing the lower free ends thereof into and outof projecting relation to the bottom face of the rocker, oppositelyacting spring means for retaining said pusher members with their lowerfree ends normally in said projecting relation, said bracket membershaving portions extending in the paths of movement of the upper crossportions of said pusher members for limiting the swinging movementthereof in opposition to said spring means, and detent means carried bysaid bracket members for engagement with the upper cross portions of thepusher members and positively latching either or both of said pushermembers with their lower free ends above the bottom face of the rocker.

BOY OURD M. MIKULIC.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 597,702 Johnck Jan. 18. 18981,635,375 Mathers July 12, 1927

